National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Technology Maturation with NASA Flight Opportunities

Helping Gecko Grippers Get a Handle on Objects in SpaceWith flights that led to an ISS mission, NASA’s Flight Opportunities program helped JPL advance this innovative method for grappling objects in harsh environments

Using the unique testing environments offered by NASA’s Flight

Opportunities program, researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion

Laboratory (JPL) are developing the ultimate in stickiness:

Gecko Grippers. Designed to withstand the harsh environment of

space—including extreme temperatures, pressures, and radiation—

this technology is being matured for infusion in future NASA

missions and applications.

We used the Flight Opportunities program to access an environment that was critical to our testing but impossible to achieve on the ground. By testing in microgravity, we uncovered several design changes and operational tricks for our hardware that enabled us to be successful flying a new version of the Gecko Grippers as a payload on the International Space Station the following year.

— Dr. Aaron Parness, Principal Investigator, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The JPL-designed Gecko Gripper, which can adhere objects to virtually any surface, was tested in the Flight Opportunities program in 2014 and 2015. (NASA/JPL-Caltech image)

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www.nasa.gov

About the TechnologyGecko Gripper sticking power is not affected by temperature, pressure, or radiationIn looking for adhesion technologies for space-based missions, JPL innovators zeroed in on the bottom of geckos’ feet, which have tiny hairs that enable them to cling to surfaces with ease. These hairs formed the basis for the grippers, featuring a synthetic hair-like material designed to stick to a desired surface.

The science behind these hairs includes van der Waals forces, which create a matched polarization (electrical field) from electrons orbiting the nuclei of atoms that are close together. As the positively charged side of one molecule is attracted to the negatively charged side of its neighbor, adhesion is achieved—without residue or the need for a mating surface.

Overcoming ChallengesWith a technology highly influenced by gravity, Flight Opportunities helped JPL address significant challenges. For instance, in testing on a horizontal surface on Earth, the gripper’s weight provides force that adheres its hairs to the target surface—an unrealistic scenario in space. Testing in microgravity helped researchers eliminate these biases, making adjustments that allowed them to demonstrate functionality in a realistic operational environment.

Looking AheadThe Flight Opportunities program testing led to a March 2016 trip to the ISS, where the Gecko Grippers are being held to longer duration space testing standards. Successful completion of this microgravity testing will enable infusion of the technology in many applications as well as consideration in important future NASA missions, such as the Deep Space Habitat and crewed missions to Mars.

Artist concept: A future robot called LEMUR (Limbed Excursion Mechanical Utility Robot) could inspect and maintain installations on the ISS while sticking to the outside using Gecko Grippers. (NASA/JPL-Caltech image)

Maturation Milestones

Flight Opportunities has been instrumental in helping to mature the Gecko Grippers technology through two notable test flights:

u Parabolic flights in July 2014 demonstrated the technology’s ability to grapple a 20-pound cube and a 250-pound human.

u A flight campaign in August 2015 further demonstrated robotic mobility on a flexible blanket surface as well as grappling of free-floating cylindrical targets with a 1-meter diameter.

As a result of these successful flights, the technology was selected for a March 2016 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), enabling testing in a longer duration microgravity environment.

Benefits of Flight Opportunities

Flight Opportunities advances the operational readiness of innovative space technologies through affordable access to relevant environments. Specific benefits to the Gecko Grippers technology include:

u Flight demonstration: Has shown effective performance in parabolic flights and free-floating flight environments.

u Operational experience: Gained invaluable insights from a parabolic aircraft environment, informing the technology’s design, development, and test program.

u Enabling technology: On track for infusion in a variety of applications and future NASA missions.

Learn More

For more information about the Gecko Grippers technology, visit: flightopportunities.nasa.gov/technologies/135

For more information about NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, visit:www.nasa.gov/flightopportunities

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